In May, Babergh planners gave market support firm Prolog the go-ahead for a £50million development including two huge warehouses on land off Church Field Road, on the promise that it could create up to 500 new jobs.

But because the buildings could have a “significant impact” on the area, stringent conditions were attached to planning consent, which Prolog has since sought to change. Some town councillors have accused Prolog of ‘duping’ them into backing the plans on the promise of new jobs. But Sudbury Chamber of Commerce vice chairman Simon Barrett now fears Prolog could “walk away” from Sudbury altogether and relocate to the east Midlands, taking with it more than 300 jobs at its current site. He said town and district councillors needed to “get serious about growth” adding: “The conditions that have been imposed are not workable from a business point of view and Prolog has got the point where it might be forced to relocate somewhere else, which would be devastating for the economy of Sudbury.”